India test fires ballistic missile off east coast

By IBT Staff Reporter On 12/13/09 AT 11:09 AM

India - India successfully tested a nuclear-capable ship-based ballistic missile on Sunday off its eastern coast, a defence official said.

The Dhanush (meaning bow) missile was fired at 11.31 a.m. local time (6:01 a.m. British time) from naval ship INS Shubhadra off the Chandipur coast in Orissa state, S. P. Dash, the director of the test range, told Reuters.

The surface-to-surface missile, which was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, is a naval variant of the Prithvi (earth) missile built as a part of India's ambitious integrated guided missile development programme.

Dhanush has a strike range up to 350 km and a payload of up to one tonne, Dash said.

It has met all the mission objectives. It was a text book launch, Dash said.